ClickAJob News

Businesses undervalue the importance of a knowledge of IT, a report by computer giant Microsoft has discovered.

According to a survey by the company, teamwork and interpersonal skills are deemed more important by employers that IT expertise.

The survey questioned 500 UK firms and discovered that proficiency in IT came seventh on a list of skills bosses want to see in employees.

Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, commented that nearly every job is now affected by technology.

He remarked: "One of the most important changes of the last 30 years is that digital technology has transformed almost everyone into an information worker.

"In almost every job now, people use software and work with information to enable their organisation to operate more effectively."

A knowledge of IT came behind communication, flexibility, organisational skills and an ability to solve problems.

ClickAJob chief executive Yngve Traberg warns that most companies assume IT knowledge without ensuring employees are proficient in the first place.

"Everyone has a computer on their desk, but a lot of the time their IT skills are not skills at all," he says.

"At worst, they're habits snatched up as the job progresses, with no proper shape to training or any discipline in good IT practice."

The easiest answer, he explains, is online testing.

"By actually using a computer as the testing tool, employees can be assessed for exactly where their skills are and what training may be necessary to advance them.

"Interpersonal skills are increasingly important as more business goes online," he adds.

Mr Traberg concludes: "To take advantage of them, employees need to be equally confident in their IT dexterity."